Tega Industries Africa hosted the third chapter of its Mineral Processing Conclave in Pretoria on Friday, 3 October, to unite industry leaders and technical experts to shape the future of mining across the continent.
These are exciting times for miners and the industry is entering an exciting phase with global demand for commodities such as copper, lithium and platinum creating strong opportunities for new projects and expansions throughout Africa.
The conclave comes at a time when mining is undergoing dramatic changes with technological advances occurring at a rapid pace. As a result, conversations at the event covered technical issues such as plant optimisation and operational efficiency as well as broader themes including new resource finds, the role of IoT and AI and the challenge of integrating these innovations into effective supply chains and management tools.
Vishal Gautam, managing director of Tega Industries Africa said the event built on a strong legacy. Past editions drew experts from across four continents highlighting research on beneficiation, optimisation, maintenance strategies and the influence of design and operating variables on plant performance. These gatherings have underscored the company’s collaborative philosophy of listening to its customers and creating forums for dialogue that extend beyond technical detail to wider industry trends.
This kind of approach has guided Tega Industries for nearly five decades and is a guiding principle for the local operation which has had a strong manufacturing presence in South Africa since 2006 and since then has set off on a growing footprint across Africa.
“The mining environment is changing faster than ever before. By bringing together diverse voices from operators and engineers to economists and academics we create the opportunity to exchange ideas and prepare for a future driven by expansion and technology,” Gautam added.
Highlights include:
- Sandile Nkwanyana, Senior Engineer at Mintek, presented his Ph.D research on the effect of ball load on SAG mill collision environments and performance.
- Jennifer Giron, Senior Metallurgist at Tega and former FQML metallurgist, presented a case study on maximising SAG uptime and efficiency.
- Flavio Silva de Moura, Process and Maintenance Manager at Lundin Mining (Brazil), discussed the challenges and solutions of running a 10.36 m SAG mill.
- Sumeet Pahi, Tega Product Management – Mill Liners, shared the latest innovations in liner design.
- Professor Aubrey Mainza, Head of Department and Deputy Director at UCT’s Centre for Minerals Research, addressed the influence of control systems on milling circuits.
- Johannes Hällgren, Process Technology specialist from Boliden Mines (Sweden), spoke on optimisation through innovation and the use of CPT contracts in grinding circuits.
- The programme closed with insights from Tega’s Group Head, Vinay Grover.
